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This 1953 R-Type Bentley was the iconic automaker's second series of post-war Bentleys.

It replaced the Mark VI.

"The front saloon model was identical to its predecessor," stated the owner's summary provided at the 2012 Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance held at the beautiful Crystal Springs Golf Course in August.

"The R-Type epitomized British luxury in the 1950s and despite having a uniform style, each car was unique in details," the summary noted.

"Buyers increasingly bought factory-built bodies but some chose a custom coachbuilder."

Common to all R-Type models, noted the Bay Area owner of this beauty, was an iron-block/aluminum-head 4.6-liter inline-6 engine that was fed by twin SU carburetors.

"A 4-speed manual transmission was standard," the summary said. "When new, the car had a top speed of 102 mph and could do 0-60 in 13 seconds ~ 10 seconds faster than the MG-TD!"

This right-hand drive model has a factory sunroof.

"Over the past 25 years," the summary added, "it has won numerous Bentley Drivers and Rolls-Royce Club awards for long-distance touring in the U.S. and Canada."

The owner noted that this Bentley has the distinction of participating in the Alaska and the Yellowknife Northwest Territories tours.

"It was awarded first place in the touring judging class at the Rolls-Royce National Meet," the summary concluded.

Bentley is one of the grand icons of the early age of automobiles.

Founded in 1919 by W.O. Bentley, the company had gained a solid reputation because of The Great War with is manufacturing of rotary "aero-engines."

The Bentley automobile soon gained popularity when it it designed and manufactured cars that were victorious at several Le Mans ~ a grueling 24-hour race.

Like many early automobile manufacturers, Bentley didn't survive. It was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1931 and resurrected by Volkswagen in 1998.

The business is still based in Crewe, Cheshire, England, which is where Rolls-Royce moved it after it purchased it.